Etihad Cargo and Atlas air partner to operate round-the-world freighter service

Etihad Cargo has announced its first round-the-world freighter routing in conjunction with Atlas Air Worldwide.

The
jointly operated routing begins today, connecting Etihad Cargo’s Abu Dhabi hub
with destinations in Asia, the United States, South America and Europe.

Miami
(US), Viracopos (Brazil), and Quito (Ecuador) will become part the
round-the-world Abu Dhabi-Hong Kong-Chicago-Miami-Viracopos-Quito-Amsterdam-Abu
Dhabi freighter service offered with an Etihad Cargo-liveried Boeing 747-8
Freighter.

Earlier
this month, Etihad Cargo signed a multi-year Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance agreement
with Atlas Air to provide the Boeing 747-8 Freighter with its 138-ton cargo
capacity to operate the new schedule.

The three
new freighter destinations in the Americas will see Etihad Cargo’s network
extend to 92 points across the globe.
The carrier’s eight freighters operate to 28 of these destinations.

Kevin
Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Airways, said, “Etihad
Cargo is reinforcing its position as a global operator with the entry into
service of this round-the-world routing, touching the Middle East, Asia
Pacific, the Americas and Europe.

“This
goes beyond simply joining the dots, it’s about working with partners,
operating routes which benefit our customers across the globe, entering new
markets, establishing new trade lanes, being cost effective and delivering
value.

In June,
Etihad Cargo will add to its America’s operations when São Paulo, Brazil comes
on stream through a new Airbus A340-500 passenger service from Abu Dhabi, on
which bellyhold cargo capability will also be offered.

The Boeing 747-8 Freighter is the largest in Etihad
Cargo’s current freighter fleet. The airline also operates three Boeing
B777F, one Boeing 747-400ERF, one Boeing 747-400F and two Airbus A330-200F.

Etihad Cargo will take delivery of two additional
freighters in 2013 and 2014, comprising two Airbus A330-200F.